Friday, December 2, 2011

Pope Names Bishop Ochoa Of El Paso, Texas To Fresno, CaliforniaPope Benedict XVI has named 68-year-old Bishop Armando X. Ochoa of El Paso, Texas, as Bishop of Fresno, California. He succeeds Bishop John Steinbock, who died December 5, 2010.

The appointment was publicized in Washington, December 1, by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, apostolic nuncio to the United States. Bishop Ochoa was named as bishop of El Paso in 1996 and has served on bishops’ committees on vocations, laity, permanent diaconate, Hispanic affairs and migration at the national level.

Gift-giving an Opportunity to Promote Human Life and Dignity Advent has arrived and brought with it the extreme shopping that our culture associates with Christmas preparation. Learn more about how you can shop for fair trade gifts that provide fair wages to workers and promote the dignity of the poor in our nation and across the world.

Choose Life License Plates Now Available Choose Life Licenses plates, approved during this year’s legislative session, are now available for purchase online here. Of the $30 specialty plate fee, $22 dollars will be distributed to organizations that provide counseling and material assistance to pregnant women who are considering placing their children for adoption. The Texas Catholic Conference has been a strong advocate of the “Choose Life License plate” for several legislative sessions; you can read the Conferences’ policy paper on the issue here.

Pope Encourages Initiatives to End the Death PenaltyVatican Information Services
Speaking to delegations from a number of countries participating in a meeting being promoted by the Sant'Egidio Community on the theme "No Justice without Life", the Holy Father advocated for an end to the use of the death penalty."I express my hope that your deliberations will encourage the political and legislative initiatives being promoted in a growing number of countries to eliminate the death penalty and to continue the substantive progress made in conforming penal law both to the human dignity of prisoners and the effective maintenance of public order," he said. You can encourage your friends and family to advocate against the death penalty in Texas by recommending that they subscribe to the Texas Catholic Voice, simply direct them to the Voice sign-up page here.